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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. current — happening now
  3. scale — size or range
  4. swing — music
  5. content — happy
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. staff — employees
  9. pop — to visit
  10. swing — in golf
  11. current — of water
  12. pop — soda
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pop — music
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — a video
  17. rest — a break
  18. scale — in music
  19. content — the amount
  20. swing — to play on
  21. current — electric
  22. staff — employees
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com